by Robert L. Petri

photos-Robert L. Petri; maps- Ted Walke

One of the most closely guarded secrets among trout anglers has long been that some of the best
fishing of the year is during autumn. As the nights grow cooler and daytime water temperatures remain for the most part
in the trout's comfort range, the fish become more active. An ancient instinct in the trout's makeup advises him that
the long Pennsylvania winter is just ahead and now is the time to fatten up in anticipation of the leaner days to come.
The trout often feed at this time of year with an abandon uncharacteristic of any other season.

Long before the Commission instituted the fall stocking program on selected lakes and streams, autumn
was my favorite time to fish. Many of the fish from the plantings of spring remained in the streams, and the relative
solitude of autumn trout water combined with the vivid scenery of the season have often come together to bring me some
of my best days on the water.

Every portion of the state has fine autumn trout fishing opportunities, but for variety and good
fishing, it's hard to beat the mixed farmland and rugged ridge setting of Pennsylvania's southcentral counties. Here are
some of the best bets for the autumn angler in southcentral Pennsylvania.

Commission Area 7 Fisheries Manager Larry Jackson is responsible for the streams of the lower
Susquehanna and Juniata drainage basins. He recommends that anglers in search of southcentral trout in autumn
concentrate on the streams and lakes that are included in the Commission's fall stocking program as well as some of the
smaller freestone waters of the region where a good holdover of stocked fish from spring often combines with a decent
wild trout population to make for worthwhile fishing. Southcentral Pennsylvania has no shortage of either of these water
types.

Cumberland County

In Cumberland County, Jackson recommends several of the famous limestone streams that have made this
area one of Pennsylvania's most popular trout fishing destinations. The fly angler can find good fishing in the
Delayed-Harvest, Fly-Fishing-Only (DHFFO) project on Green Spring Creek near Newville. The project on this small meadow
limestoner extends from the mouth upstream about one mile and receives a fall stocking of brown and rainbow trout.

Anglers looking for a mix of specially regulated and open water in a larger stream setting can do
well on the Yellow Breeches, both in the mile-long barbless-hook, artificials catch-and-release project on the stream at
Allenberry and in the open water upstream. Even though the Breeches receives no autumn stocking, it holds fish well all
summer. Its trout population is also augmented by supplemental stockings by area sportsmen's clubs.

If a flatwater autumn trout fishing experience is your preference, Cumberland County has two lakes
that benefit from the fall stocking program. Laurel Lake in Pine Grove Furnace State Park in southern Cumberland County
is a 27-acre impoundment on Mountain Creek that receives an autumn stocking of rainbow trout. The lake is managed by the
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), which provides an access area for launching canoes
and shallow-draft boats powered with electric motors. Camping is available nearby at the state park. Mountain Creek
within the confines of the state park also receives an autumn stocking of brook and brown trout.

Opossum Lake, about six miles northwest of Carlisle off PA Route 641, is a 59-acre impoundment on
Opossum Creek and a very popular fishing destination. The lake is managed by the Fish & Boat Commission and is limited
to electric motors. Opossum Lake receives a fall stocking of rainbow trout.

Adams County

Just to the west of Cumberland County, Adams County offers limited autumn trout fishing
opportunities. According to Jackson, the best autumn bet in the area is the DHFFO project on Conewago Creek. The project
begins at the Route 34 bridge near Biglerville and continues upstream for about a mile. The project section receives an
annual fall plant of brown and rainbow trout, and offers good fishing and pleasant scenery.

Franklin County

In Franklin County, the available autumn trout fishing picks up considerably with two Delayed-Harvest
projects, one open stream section and a lake all receiving fall stockings. A 1.1-mile-long section of the famous Falling
Spring Branch at Chambersburg is managed under Delayed-Harvest, Artificial-Lures-Only (DHALO) regulations. Extending
from Walker Road downstream to Fifth Avenue in Chambersburg, this project on this classic limestone spring creek flows
through a residential area and offers excellent autumn fishing.

In extreme southern Franklin County, another limestone stream, the East Branch of Antietam Creek, has
a one-mile section on the eastern edge of the city of Waynesboro managed as a DHFFO project. The project begins at the
PA Route 16 bridge and extends down to Township Road 365. Restrictive regs and a fall stocking of brown and rainbow
trout make this a productive destination for the autumn angler.

Conococheague Creek in Caledonia State Park off U.S. Route 30 about 12 miles east of Chambersburg is
a moderate-size freestone stream managed under open regulations. It is popular and heavily stocked with brook trout,
including an autumn stocking.

Letterkenny Reservoir is a 54-acre impoundment managed by the Fish & Boat Commission. An access area
is provided, with all craft limited to electric motors. The reservoir receives a fall stocking of rainbow trout. The
reservoir is located near the village of Roxbury off PA Route 641 about 10 miles northwest of Shippensburg.

Juniata, Mifflin counties

Good autumn trout fishing can also be found in Juniata and Mifflin counties, along the northern edge
of the southcentral region. For 1999, a new DHALO project has been established on the forested upper reaches of East
Licking Creek in Tuscarora State Forest a few miles east of Mifflintown. The project section begins at the Karl B. Guss
State Forest Picnic Area and extends upstream for four miles. The lower reaches of the project are in Juniata County and
the extreme upper reaches are in Mifflin County.

East Licking Creek in the project section is a small freestone waterway with some deep pools and
undercut banks. In addition to a fall stocking of brook and brown trout, this section of the stream is also home to a
fair population of wild brook and brown trout.

Access to the East Licking Creek drainage is by way of East Licking Creek Drive, which leaves PA
Route 35 just west of Mifflintown.

Anglers looking for autumn trout in Juniata and Mifflin counties might also want to consider the
small freestone tributaries in the Honey Creek watershed near Reedsville. These streams, Havice Run, Treaster Run, and
Upper Honey Creek, all have stocked sections that flow through state forest lands. Even though none receives autumn
stockings of trout, all remain relatively cool throughout the summer, helping to encourage holdover of spring-stocked
trout. All are also home to modest populations of wild brook trout and a few wild browns as well. Access to these small
streams is by way of LR 1002, which travels east out of Reedsville.

Cove Creek, Fulton County

Fulton County

On the western edge of the southcentral region, Fulton County offers some good fall trout fishing.
Larry Jackson recommends that anglers sample the new DHALO project on Cove Creek near the village of Big Cove Tannery
off U.S. Route 522 a few miles south of McConnellsburg. The project begins a few hundred yards below the PA Route 928
bridge and extends downstream for about one mile to the lower boundary of Buchanan State Forest. The project water
receives an autumn stocking of brown and rainbow trout.

Cove Creek in this section is a medium-size stream with good water quality and cool temperatures,
thanks to an abundance of small spring tributaries. Fisheries Manager Jackson cites Esther Run, a small limestone stream
that enters Cove Creek in the project section, as contributing a shot of cold, fertile water to the main stem.

For the lake angler, Fulton County offers Cowans Gap Lake, a 42-acre impoundment located in Cowans
Gap State Park. The lake is managed by DCNR. There is a DCNR-maintained access area here where small watercraft can be
launched. Propulsion is limited to electric motors. As water temperatures cool in the fall, Cowans Gap Lake receives an
autumn stocking of rainbow trout. Access to the lake is by way of U.S. Route 30 at the top of Tuscarora Mountain.

Other good spots

There are many other waterways in southcentral Pennsylvania worth some of your autumn angling time.
The two-mile-long DHFFO project on Muddy Creek near Bridgeton in southern York County is a pleasant, medium-size stream
that receives an autumn stocking of brown and rainbow trout in the project section. The upper section of Blacklog Creek
in Juniata County does not receive an autumn stocking, but local anglers claim that the stocked fish from spring hold over well and the area is isolated and scenic:
The stream carves its valley flanked by Blacklog Mountain to the west and Shade Mountain to the east. Access is along
Blacklog Creek Road off of U.S. Route 522 near the village of Orbisonia. The stocked sections of Kishacoquillas Creek
along Route 322 near Yeagertown in Mifflin County hold good numbers of holdover browns in a tumbling limestone stream
setting.

Fishing tactics

Wherever you decide to sample the autumn trout angling in southcentral Pennsylvania, the same basic
rules of approach and angling techniques that served you well earlier in the season still apply. On freestone streams
such as Conewago Creek, East Licking Creek, and Blacklog Creek, your approach to the stream in the typically low flows
of autumn can be almost as important as your choice of bait, lure, or fly. Even newly stocked trout quickly learn to
flee at an unnatural shadow or movement on the bank. So use streamside cover to mask your approach and wear earth-toned
clothing.

A careful approach is a little less critical on the limestone flows of such streams as the East
Branch of Antietam Creek and the lower Falling Spring Branch. However, limestone trout can become notoriously picky, and
on these waters, accurate presentations become more important. Get your offering as close as you can to the place where
you think the trout are holding and try to make a drag-free presentation.

On streams where bait angling is permitted, small red worms fished on small hooks and a light line
can be deadly. Also, remember that at least until the first hard freeze, grasshoppers and crickets will be abundant,
especially along the streams that flow at least in part through open terrain. These insects make excellent bait for
autumn trout when fished on a light-wire hook and allowed to drift near the stream banks where the trout are used to
seeing them. Use the lightest monofilament you can get away with. Four-pound test is usually about right.